Former Indian Cricketer MS Dhoni is facing a defamation lawsuit filed in the Delhi High Court by Mihir Diwakar and his wife Soumya Das, who were once business partners with the cricket star. The hearing for the plea is scheduled for January 18 before Justice Prathiba M Singh.

Diwakar and Das have filed a lawsuit in response to the criminal case initiated by MS Dhoni against them, accusing them of violating a contract signed in 2017.

They have petitioned the high court to prohibit the dissemination of defamatory or patently false statements about them. Mihit Diwakar and his wife Soumya Das, both plaintiffs and former business partners, have filed a plea seeking a permanent injunction and damages against Dhoni, various social media platforms, and media organizations.

On October 27th of the previous year, representatives of MS Dhoni lodged a criminal case under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in Ranchi. Dhoni, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, brought forth the case against his former business associates, Mihir Diwakar and Soumya Vishwas, who serve as directors of the sports management company 'Aarka Sports.' Dhoni alleged that they deprived him of over Rs 15 crore and violated a contract intended for the establishment of cricket academies.

As stated by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the complaint, the sports management firm, Aarka Sports was liable to pay him the franchise fee and share profits in the ratio mentioned, but this agreement was breached on their side. This resulted in the cricketer withdrawing the authorization letter for Aarka Sports and sending several legal notices to the firm on August 15^th, 2021.